Why sleep is critical while you are exercising

posted Feb 24, 2016, 12:45 PM by Ann Lee

It is so common to hear from others that they are eating right and exercising but not getting the results that they want. Not getting enough sleep could be the missing link, as suboptimal sleep causes weight gain and decrease in muscle mass. Sleep is when the body is recovering and rebuilding from exercise, and not just any sleep, but all the stages of sleep in the proper sequence: stage 1 (near awake), stage 2 (sleep onset), stage 3 (deep sleep), stage 4 (REM or dream state), which occurs at about 90 minutes into each cycle. Unfortunately people who take sleeping pills do not go through all the phases of sleep. During deep sleep, the body uses the protein eaten during the day before and the growth hormone produced during sleep to repair muscle tissues used during exercising. Without sleep, the body is stressed, craves food, and has a lowered immune system. Some tips include keeping your bedroom cool and dark with no electronics that can interfere with the pineal gland producing melatonin, and keeping a notepad and pen on the nightstand to jot down all your to-dos to get it out of your head.